Identity Envelope Validation Through an Edge Gateway
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Solution Overview
Problem
Distributed computing systems face inefficiencies and security vulnerabilities due to the need to develop and maintain separate authentication mechanisms for various formats of identity data objects, leading to prolonged authentication times and potential security breaches.
Innovation Solution
A gateway device generates a single identity data object, or 'identity envelope', that includes identity information for clients and devices, allowing authorized services to modify it while ensuring authenticity and integrity through verification and key management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If separate authentication mechanisms are developed for each type of identity data object, then authentication accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases and authentication time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate authentication mechanisms into a single unified authentication mechanism that can handle different types of identity data objects (user tokens, device tokens, service tokens) through a common validation framework. The edge gateway consolidates the authentication logic that previously existed as separate mechanisms for each token type, reducing system complexity while maintaining the ability to accurately authenticate various identity objects.
Solution Approach 2:
The unified authentication mechanism is designed to be universal, capable of validating multiple types of identity data objects through a single process. The edge gateway implements a multi-functional authentication system that can handle user authentication, device authentication, and service-to-service authentication using the same underlying mechanism, eliminating the need for separate specialized mechanisms for each token type.
2Measurement precision
If separate authentication mechanisms are maintained for each identity data object type, then authentication accuracy is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
By combining multiple authentication mechanisms into one unified process at the edge gateway, the system eliminates the sequential processing time that would result from executing separate authentication mechanisms for each token type. The unified mechanism processes all identity data objects through a single validation path, significantly reducing the time required to authenticate multiple tokens while preserving authentication accuracy.
3Device complexity
If authentication is foregone to reduce complexity, then device complexity decreases, but reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The edge gateway acts as an intermediary that enforces authentication without requiring complex authentication mechanisms at each service. By positioning the unified authentication mechanism at the network edge, the system ensures that all identity data objects are validated before reaching internal services, maintaining high reliability and security while keeping service-level complexity low. The edge gateway mediates between the external tokens and internal services, ensuring authentication occurs without burdening individual services with complex authentication logic.
Data Source
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AI summary
Various embodiments of the present application set forth a computer-implemented method that includes receiving, by a first service operating within a computing system, a modified identity data object from a second service operating within the computing system, where the modified identity data object includes at least one identifier associated with a client of the computing system determining, by the first service, that the second service performed a first action on an identity data object to generate the modified identity data object, and validating the modified identity data object based on whether the second service is authorized to perform the first action.